Arizona Laws 15-1372. Equalization assistance for state educational system for persons in the state department of corrections; fund
A. The state department of corrections shall provide educational services for pupils who are under the age of eighteen years and pupils with disabilities who are age twenty-one or younger who are committed to the state department of corrections. The department of education shall provide technical assistance to the state department of corrections on request and shall assist the state department of corrections in establishing program and personnel standards.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-1372
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Average daily membership: means the total enrollment of fractional students and full-time students, minus withdrawals, of each school day through the first one hundred days or two hundred days in session, as applicable, for the current year. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Base: means the revenue level per student count specified by the legislature. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Base support level: means the base support level as provided in section 15-943. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Budget year: means the fiscal year for which the school district is budgeting and that immediately follows the current year. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Child with a disability: means a child with a disability as defined in section 15-761. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Fiscal year: means the year beginning July 1 and ending June 30. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Fractional student: means :
(i) For common schools, a preschool child who is enrolled in a program for preschool children with disabilities of at least three hundred sixty minutes each week that meets at least two hundred sixteen hours over the minimum number of days or a kindergarten student who is at least five years of age before January 1 of the school year and enrolled in a school kindergarten program that meets at least three hundred fifty-six hours for a one hundred eighty-day school year, or the instructional hours prescribed in this section. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Full-time student: means :
(i) For common schools, a student who is at least six years of age before January 1 of a school year, who has not graduated from the highest grade taught in the school district and who is regularly enrolled in a course of study required by the state board of education. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
- Student count: means average daily membership as prescribed in this subsection for the fiscal year before the current year, except that for the purpose of budget preparation student count means average daily membership as prescribed in this subsection for the current year. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Subject: means a division or field of organized knowledge, such as English or mathematics, or a selection from an organized body of knowledge for a course or teaching unit, such as the English novel or elementary algebra. See Arizona Laws 15-101
B. The state education fund for correctional education is established. Subject to legislative appropriation, fund monies shall be used for the purposes of providing education to pupils as specified in subsection A of this section. Notwithstanding section 35-173, monies appropriated to the fund shall not be transferred to or used for any program that is not directly related to the educational services required by this section. State equalization assistance, other state and federal monies received from the department of education for which the pupils in correctional education programs qualify and monies appropriated for correctional education except monies appropriated pursuant to subsection C of this section shall be deposited in the fund. The state treasurer shall maintain separate accounts for fund monies if the separate accounts are required by statute or federal law.
C. The state department of corrections may seek appropriations for capital needs for land, buildings and improvements, including repairs and maintenance, that are required to maintain the educational services required by this section.
D. The state board of education shall apportion state aid and deposit it, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, in the state education fund for correctional education in an amount as determined by subsection E of this section. The apportionments are as follows:
1. On July 1, one-third of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
2. On October 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
3. On December 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
4. On January 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
5. On February 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
6. On March 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
7. On April 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
8. On May 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
9. On June 15, one-twelfth of the total amount to be apportioned during the fiscal year.
E. The director of the state department of corrections shall calculate a base support level as prescribed in section 15-943 and district additional assistance as prescribed in section 15-961 for the educational services required by this section, except that:
1. Notwithstanding section 15-901, the student count shall be determined using the following definitions:
(a) "Daily attendance" means days in which a pupil attends an educational program for a minimum of one hundred eighty minutes, not including meal and recess periods. Attendance for ninety or more minutes but fewer than one hundred eighty minutes shall be counted as one-half day’s attendance.
(b) "Fractional student" means a pupil who is enrolled in an educational program of ninety or more minutes but fewer than one hundred eighty minutes per day, not including meal and recess periods. A fractional student shall be counted as one-half of a full-time student.
(c) "Full-time student" means a pupil who is enrolled in an educational program for a minimum of one hundred eighty minutes per day, not including meal and recess periods.
(d) "Pupil with a disability" has the same meaning as child with a disability prescribed in section 15-761.
2. All pupils shall be counted as if they were enrolled in grades nine through twelve.
3. The teacher experience index is 1.00.
4. Section 15-943, paragraph 1 does not apply.
5. The base support level and capital outlay amounts calculated pursuant to this section shall be multiplied by 0.67.
6. The school year shall consist of a period of not less than two hundred eight days.
F. The director of the state department of corrections may use section 15-855 in making the calculations prescribed in subsection E of this section. The director of the state department of corrections and the department of education shall prescribe procedures for calculating average daily membership.
G. Equalization assistance for correctional education programs provided for those pupils specified in subsection A of this section is determined by adding the amount of the base support level and district additional assistance for the budget year calculated as prescribed in subsection E of this section.
H. The director of the state department of corrections shall keep records and provide information as the department of education requires to determine the appropriate amount of equalization assistance. Equalization assistance shall be used to provide educational services in this section.
I. The department of education and the state department of corrections shall enter into an intergovernmental agreement that establishes the necessary accountability between the two departments regarding the administrative and funding requirements contained in subsections A and B of this section. The agreement shall:
1. Provide for appropriate education to all committed youths as required by state and federal law.
2. Provide financial information to meet requirements for equalization assistance.
3. Provide for appropriate pupil intake and assessment procedures.
4. Require pupil performance assessment and the reporting of results.